Tag Archives: office

Michael Jackson’s Legacy, Two Years Later, By the Numbers

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Legendary singer’s impact continues to blossom in the two years since his death; MTV News breaks down the figures. By Gil Kaufman Michael Jackson Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Like Elvis, Bob Marley, Notorious B.I.G. and Frank Sinatra before him, Michael Jackson ‘s influence has continued, and grown, since his untimely death on June 25, 2009 . On the second anniversary of the King of Pop’s passing, MTV News took a look at the enduring appeal of MJ’s music, videos and imagery, which continue to fascinate and attract fans across the globe thanks to a series of posthumous albums, a movie, video games and two upcoming Cirque du Soleil live shows. Where Were You Two Years Ago When You Heard the News? Tell Us on Facebook $72 million : According to Box Office Mojo , Jackson’s posthumous concert film, “This Is It,” has grossed more than $72 million to date domestically and $189 million in foreign markets for a worldwide take over more than $261 million. It ranks as the #2 music documentary of all-time behind Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never.” The film has also generated nearly $45 million in DVD sales in the U.S. 16 : In May, Jackson lodged his first #1 on the Billboard magazine Dance/ Club Play Songs chart in 16 years with the latest single from his posthumous Michael album, “Hollywood Tonight.” 2 : Number of posthumous albums that have been released since Michael’s death in June 2009. Last year’s Michael has sold just over 510,000 copies to date, while the This Is It collection has moved nearly 1 million copies to date in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. 15,000 : The number of videos submitted by fans since March for the crowdsourced video for “Behind the Mask.” After they were edited down by a five-person team over two months, the resulting clip used submissions from more than 1,600 participants from 103 countries. 3 million : The amount of copies sold of the Ubisoft “Michael Jackson: The Experience” video game worldwide. $57 million : The reported cost of Cirque du Soleil’s traveling MJ show , “The Immortal World Tour, which is slated to kick off on October 2. $1 billion : That gaudy figure is the reported amount the Jackson estate had generated by last June on the first anniversary of the singer’s death. According to Billboard, the revenue was generated by a combination of music sales ($429 million), film/TV revenue ($392 million), music publishing ($130 million), licensing ($35 million) and a $31 million recording contract. (A spokesperson for Jackson’s estate declined to provide updated figures for this story.) $310 million : The amount of gross earnings reported by the executors of the estate in a December 2010 court filing detailing the progress made in paying off the $400 million in debt run up by the spendthrift singer during his lifetime. 16.1 million : MJ was always a big singles artist. Yes, Thriller is one of the best-selling albums of all time, but even in death, fans can’t resist cherry-picking some of Michael’s best songs. That explains why he’s sold more than 16 million digital tracks since June 28, 2009, the first sales week following his passing, according to Nielsen SoundScan. To put that in perspective, from the time Nielsen began counting digital tracks in 2004 until the week before Jackson’s death, the singer had sold just over 8.1 million digital tracks, a figure that has doubled in just the past two years. 2013 : The projected launch for a second, non-touring Cirque show celebrating Jackson. The yet-untitled show is slated to open in the spring of 2013 at a new theater being built at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. $25 million to $50 million : That’s how much Jackson’s estate takes in on an annual basis thanks to his stake in the half-million-song Sony/ATV catalog, which includes titles by Elvis, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Beyonc

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

‘Bad Teacher’: The Reviews Are In!

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Critics grade Cameron Diaz’s irreverent flick as it enters a mixed bag of summer comedies. By Eric Ditzian Cameron Diaz in “Bad Teacher” Photo: Gemma LaMana As “Bad Teacher” opens this weekend, it joins a mixed bag of summer comedies. While we’re still giggling over certain “Bridesmaids” moments and can’t wait to take in a second viewing on DVD, “The Hangover Part II” left us reaching for a copy of the original film to remind us why we were so taken with that boozy cinematic bunch. But hey, the second “Hangover” has grossed almost $500 million worldwide, so what the heck do we know? The Cameron Diaz-starring laugher , according to the critics, falls closer to the letdown that was the second “Hangover” than the revelatory “Bridesmaids.” Reviewers have criticized the film for plot holes galore and poor character development, even as most have admitted it delivers a hefty helping of laughs. Read on for a deeper dive into the critics’ take on “Bad Teacher.” The Story “Director Jake Kasdan coaxes some laughs out of the film, but only Jason Segel, as a cynical gym teacher, seems like a real person instead of a caricature. Everyone else seems like they’re trying just a touch too hard. Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) gets dumped by the rich guy she was going to marry for money, forcing her to come back for another year of teaching junior-high English. But she is not without goals; her immediate one is to figure out how to get enough money to pay for breast implants, which she thinks will help her more easily land a replacement sugar daddy. The operation is tough to afford on a teacher’s salary, of course. But one day handsome Scott Delacorte (Timberlake), the heir to a watch-making fortune, shows up as a substitute teacher, giving Elizabeth a suitable target.” — Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic The Performances “The movie, of course, belongs to Diaz. She’s always projected a sort of girlfriend-gone-wild sass that suggested she’s a hell of a lot of fun after a couple of mango margaritas; ‘Bad Teacher’ is one of the few films that’s allowed her to show that. And not only does she show it, she flaunts it, from a wardrobe that’s tighter than next year’s school budget to a vocabulary that’s definitely not on any standardized test. But she’s not alone. The wonderful Lucy Punch — the gold digger from ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’ — is a nagging toothache as a too-perfect teacher. Comic actors such as Thomas Lennon drop by for brief but marvelous scenes, and Jason Segal is a menschy gym teacher. Justin Timberlake, however, remains too cool to really commit to his oddball character, a substitute teacher that the man-hungry Diaz fixates on.” — Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger The ‘Bad’ Comparisons ” ‘Bad Teacher’ wants to be ‘Bad Santa’ but it’s afraid to go as far as Billy Bob Thornton’s gleeful middle finger to holidays and proper treatment of children. So it ends up trapped in a nowhere middle-ground, somewhere between ‘Bad Santa’ and the equally hilarious but family friendly Jack Black movie ‘School of Rock.’ Both of those movies had somewhere to go and a way to get there, but ‘Bad Teacher’ just goes and doesn’t really seem to know where it’s going. The script has its moments and the cast has a few too.” — Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend The Missteps “The main problem with ‘Bad Teacher’ is that it’s really just one joke, which is stretched further than the uneven script by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (vets of TV’s ‘The Office’) will permit. Jake Kasdan’s flat direction doesn’t help. … ‘Bad Teacher’ has its amusing moments, but also many where you can’t help wondering about the comedic choices. If you’re going to have the hung-over instructor getting her young charges to watch movies all day, aren’t there funnier picks than just a succession of teacher-themed movies? And if you’ve already decided your film is going to get an American ‘R’ rating — the profanity alone guarantees that — then why not take a few more risks with your comedy?” — Peter Howell, Toronto Star The Final Word ” ‘Bad Teacher’ does not always connect with every joke, and there’s one character in particular that seems to have been abandoned by the screenwriters midstream, but when the film works, it contains some wicked belly laughs, and I’ll give Cameron Diaz credit for this: she seems delighted to play a total a–hole.” — Drew McWeeny, HitFix Check out everything we’ve got on “Bad Teacher.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Bad Teacher’ Related Photos ‘Bad Teacher’ Premieres In New York

View original post here:
‘Bad Teacher’: The Reviews Are In!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Transcript: President’s remarks at LGBT DNC Fundraiser

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

http://www.youtube.com/v/AjrBoE2Orb4

Read the original post:

Here you go… THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __ __________________________ For Immediate Release June 23, 2011 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT A DNC EVENT Sheraton Hotel and Towers New York, New York 6:59 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello, hello, hello! (Applause.) Thank you! Thank you so much. Hello, New York! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Everybody please have a… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Pam’s House Blend Discovery Date : 24/06/2011 03:29 Number of articles : 2

Transcript: President’s remarks at LGBT DNC Fundraiser

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hot Stuff, TV, Videos

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 4 Most Annoying Text Message Cop-Outs

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The rest is here:

As text messaging slowly takes the place of face-to-face conversations, I’ve noticed how easy it has become to avoid actual confrontation . You can express how you’re feeling using a few simple keyboard symbols and the rest is up to your imagination. The other morning my friend woke up and decided she was too hungover to go to work. I told her that she better think of a good excuse, call her boss, and follow up with an apologetic email. Within 2 minutes, she said her problem was solved and I didn’t hear her say one word. As it turns out, she text messaged her boss saying that she wouldn’t be in that day. That’s when I knew that text messaging cop outs are getting out of hand. I’ve never been a huge texter. While it’s definitely convenient to confirm plans at the click of a few buttons, I prefer phone and email conversations over constant texting (it might also be because I am awful at using my new touch screen phone). I did a little investigating and found out what people around the office consider to be the most annoying text message cop outs. 1. Breaking up with someone: Seriously? Grow a pair and call it quits with someone in person. It’s not like you’ll ever have to see them again if you don’t want to. 2. Asking someone out: I’ll be honest. My first “boyfriend” was in 4th grade and he asked me to be his girlfriend by passing me a note in homeroom. While I was flattered back then, it’s a huge cop-out to make the big move through text message past elementary school. 3. Canceling plans: First of all, try not to cancel 5 minutes prior to your plans. If you have to resort to a “Sorry, I can’t make it” text, it’s probably last minute and the person is already waiting for you. Give him/her a call and reschedule. 4. Confronting with a problem: If you’re upset with that guy for that thing he did, he doesn’t want to hear about it in a 4 page text message. It really doesn’t affect him to read that you’re mad at him in a message where half of your feelings are written in short-hand. Make a plan to get coffee and have a civilized, face-to-face conversation about it. If confrontation really isn’t your style, write an email. There’s no 160 character limit and you can get out exactly what you need to without using abbreviations that really don’t make any sense. Do you have any more text message cop out stories? Let’s Text About Sex, Baby Morning After: Follow Through Or Flee? Nicki Minaj & Britney Spears Get Into Altercation At Femme Fatale Tour?! BLACK MUSIC MOMENT #44: Isaac Hayes Wins Academy Award For “Shaft” Score 1972 FACT OF THE DAY: Tupac Shakur Studied Ballet

Top 4 Most Annoying Text Message Cop-Outs

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake Hit ‘Bad Teacher’ Black Carpet

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘She just doesn’t belong in school,’ Diaz tells MTV News of her naughty character at comedy’s New York premiere. By Jocelyn Vena Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake at the “Bad Teacher” premiere Photo: James Devaney/ WireImage NEW YORK — “Bad Teacher” stars Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel came out on Monday night for the premiere of their raunchy comedy. And Diaz, who plays couldn’t-care-less teacher Elizabeth Halsey, told us she why she loved the role. “It was a lot of fun. Elizabeth was such a well-written character,” she told MTV News on the Ziegfeld Theatre’s black carpet. “It was easy to play her; it was easy to say the words. She was so well-defined.” Cameron’s character is very naughty, and her co-stars Tom Lennon and Phyllis Smith (“The Office”) jokingly admitted that they might have paid more attention in school back in the day if a teacher had been as sexy as Diaz, a sentiment the A-list start completely understood. “I think that’s why people love Elizabeth,” Diaz said. “It’s because everyone wants to be her, even for an hour, maybe a day. If you get away with a week — oh my gosh! I got to play her for six weeks. So yeah, it was a lot of fun.” As it turns out, it isn’t just Elizabeth’s attitude that’s fierce, but also her killer sense of style. Diaz fully embraced the teacher’s fashion sense in the Jake Kasdan-directed flick. “The wardrobe is really good. Elizabeth is a working girl, if you know what I mean,” she laughed. “So she has to look a certain way: She’s always either coming in from the night before or coming out and she never wants to be mistaken as a teacher and she wears [Christian] Louboutins every day of her life and she just doesn’t belong in school.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Bad Teacher.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos ‘Bad Teacher’ Premieres In New York Related Artists Justin Timberlake

Original post:
Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake Hit ‘Bad Teacher’ Black Carpet

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

All of Your Deep, Existential Cars 2 Questions Finally Answered By Pixar Chief

Posted on June 21, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Did you spend long nights tossing and turning in bed after seeing Pixar’s 2006 animated feature film Cars — asking yourself answer-less questions like, “Why are there sidewalks in a film world where humans don’t exist?” Or, “Where do baby cars come from?” Was your mind blown when you heard that this weekend’s Cars 2 introduces dinosaurs into its 21st century carscape? If so, you are not alone. Box Office Magazine was also troubled by these existential Cars queries and sat down with Pixar head John Lasseter to get some answers.

See the original post here:
All of Your Deep, Existential Cars 2 Questions Finally Answered By Pixar Chief

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Super 8’: Box-Office Sleeper Of The Summer?

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

After earning $37 million and debuting at #1, J.J. Abrams’ movie is looking like a success story so far. By Eric Ditzian Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney in “Super 8” Photo: Paramount As well as anyone, J.J. Abrams knew the challenges facing “Super 8” this summer. It’s not a sequel or based on an existing property; it doesn’t feature any major stars; its central conceit had to remain largely mysterious, and its release date plopped the flick in a crowded field of superheroes, robots and wizards. “We’re a complete anomaly in a summer of huge films,” the director told the Los Angeles Times, “and we don’t want to be so silent or coy that people don’t care or don’t hear about it.” As the film’s June 10 release date neared, it seemed people might not have heard about “Super 8,” nor cared to check it out if they had: Box-office tracking was said to be weak, with a possible opening weekend as low as $25 million. But as reviews continued to be strong, and Paramount staged over 300 Twitter-sponsored screenings at midnight on the Thursday before release, the tide seemed to be turning. And it did. “Super 8” grossed $37 million domestically. That put the alien-invasion film roughly in line with one alien invasion film based on an original idea and starring lesser-known talent (2009’s “District 9”) but slightly below another (2008’s “Cloverfield”). Yet what separates “Super 8” from these other movies is the talent behind the camera: Abrams in the director’s chair and Steven Spielberg taking on a producer role for a film that is an undeniable homage to films like “E.T.” With those names leading the charge, expectations were high as soon as the project was announced in May 2010. And now opinions among industry experts seem to be split. Is $37 million for “Super 8″ a success or a disappointment — or somewhere in between? ” ‘Super 8’ arrived with neither a whimper nor a bang,” explained Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo . “[E]ven if ‘Super 8’ beat last-minute expectations, that doesn’t necessarily make it a success. The most important expectations for any movie are the ones that are set when a movie is green-lighted as well as the ones that guide a marketing campaign.” Others, however, emphasize that making any sort of box-office declaration would be premature at this point. “For some films, the opening weekend is just the beginning of the story,” said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com . “This is one of them. It should hold up well in the weeks to come, and that will make up for the fact that its opening wasn’t exactly earth shattering.” The fact is, even with marquee talent running the show, films often need A-list talent in front of the camera — and plopping down on Leno’s couch — to goose box-office numbers. Contrino suspects that just one big name could have resulted in a $60 million opening for “Super 8.” Yet it should be noted the film reportedly cost only $50 million — about one third the budget of a typical summer tentpole. ” ‘Super 8’ will turn a profit before most of the other films released this summer, and isn’t that the epitome of success?” said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. “Yet still it was the #1 film in a crowded marketplace. There is no other way to spin this: Every studio in town would love to have a ‘Super 8’ on their release calendar.” The question now is how the film will do heading into this weekend, when a new superhero flick, “Green Lantern,” arrives. “Cloverfield,” for instance, dropped a staggering 68 percent in its second weekend, despite opening in January. “District 9” held on for a more typical 51 percent drop in August. How will “Super 8” fair? Can it become the sleeper hit of the summer? “It may have a difficult time going up against what looks like it will be the next ‘Iron Man’ in ‘Green Lantern,'” Bock said. “But word of mouth should sustain ‘Super 8’ in the weeks to come, because in a world full of exploitation and in-your-face pop-up ads, audiences will no doubt be charmed by the fact that they’re sitting in a darkened theater without knowing exactly what to expect.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Super 8.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Super 8’ ‘Super 8’: Check Out The Latest Movie Clips Here! Related Photos Tom Cruise, Elle Fanning, More At ‘Super 8’ Premiere The ‘Super 8’ Trailer’s Key Moments

The rest is here:
‘Super 8’: Box-Office Sleeper Of The Summer?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hollywood, Music

Tagged , , , , , ,

First Pics Of Gabrielle Giffords After Crazy & Deranged “Arizona Massacre” Psycho Gunman Shot Her In The Head

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good to see Gabrielle Giffords making progress in her recovery after being victim to crazed “skinhead lookin” gunman, Jared Loughner , in Arizona months ago: Two photos of a smiling Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were released early Sunday by her office, her hair shorn short but few other telling signs of her gunshot wound to the head. The Facebook photos, the first clear snapshots of Giffords since the shooting five months ago, showed how far she has come since a gunman shot her in the left side of her forehead during a constituent meet-and-greet in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson. But her spokeswoman, Pia Carusone, has cautioned that Giffords still has a long way to go in her recovery. Source

See original here:
First Pics Of Gabrielle Giffords After Crazy & Deranged “Arizona Massacre” Psycho Gunman Shot Her In The Head

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hollywood, Hot Stuff

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Casey Anthony Trial

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Deputy Jason Forgey, a cadaver dog handler with the Orange County Sheriff#39;s Office K-9 unit, testified that Gerus alerted officers that there had been a dead body in the trunk of Anthony#39;s car. “He#39;s taught to detect human composition,” Forgey testified, “specifically cadavers.” Several people have testified to the foul smell of decomposition in and near Casey Anthony#39;s trunk after 2-year-old Caylee was reported missing in July 2008. In court Tuesday afternoon, jurors heard about a

View original post here:
Casey Anthony Trial

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Casey Anthony crime scene found

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A crime scene investigator testified Friday he found the hair in Anthony#39;s car trunk near the wheel well after the Florida woman#39;s 2-year-old daughter Caylee was reported missing. It was just a strand of hair, but it could play a critical role in the murder trial of Casey Anthony. Gerardo Bloise of the Orange County Sheriff#39;s Office told the jury in the Orlando courtroom how he marked the hair as well as dirt, leaves and other debris in the trunk of the Pontiac Sunfire. Bloise also b

See original here:
Casey Anthony crime scene found

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrities, Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,